Handle locking attachment for electrical control devices

ABSTRACT

The handle locking attachment is for locking a pivotal external operating handle of an electrical control device in the OFF position. A frame mounted on the enclosing case of the device supports a bail which, when the operating handle is in the OFF position, can be swung to an obstructing position wherein it prevents movement out of OFF position, and can be locked in the obstructing position by a padlock shackle passed through an eye on the frame. The bail is biased by a torsion spring away from the obstructing position to an unobstructing position in which it is juxtaposed against the front face of the case so as not to interfere with the closure of the door of a load center cabinet in which the control device is mounted.

[is] 3,678,228 [451 July 18, 1972 United States Patent Adamson [54] HANDLE LOCKING ATTACHIVIENT Primary Examiner-Herman J. l-lohauser Anomey-John l-l. Leonard and Harold J. Rathbun FOR ELECTRICAL CONTROL DEVICES [72] Inventor:

[57] ABSTRACT The handle locking attachment is for lockin Wayne G. Adamson, Fairfax, Iowa g a pivotal exteroperating handle of an electrical control device in the OFF position. A frame mounted on the enclosing case of the device supports a bail which, when the operating handle is in the OFF position, can be swung to an obstructing position wherein it prevents movement out of OFF position, and can be locked in the obstructing position by a padlock shackle passed through an eye on the frame. The bail is biased by a torsion spring away from the obstructing position to an unobstructing position in which it is juxtaposed against the front face of the case so as not to interfere with the closure of the door of a load center cabinet in which the control device is mounted.

4 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures TWT T 2 2 2 474 4 W w h m m m e. m m m m .w 2 S k m U m m m P m w v. A m m c a m o m m m T m C H m n A P n m w. m m a m H D C u M R m 3 m 8 m N .w n U w nm 0 & l e N I .Il 9 n a -0 Ed m. d an m 0. S M 3 M M n Hum mu v n W. U H55 1 2 PATENIEB Jun 8 m2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

HANDLE LOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRICAL CONTROL DEVICES BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Field of Invention The invention relates to electrical control devices, such as circuit breakers,'which have external operating handles and particularly to an attachment by which the handle can be locked in one predetermined operating position by a conventional padlock.

For the purposes of illustration, the invention is shown as applied to a thermal and magnetic trip device, such as disclosed in U. S. Pat. to A. J. Kralik et al., No. 3,061,697, of Oct. 30, 1962, entitled Thermal and Magnetic Trip Devices, its use for other electrical control devices being apparent from the illustrative example.

The invention is an improvement on the handle locking attachment disclosed inthe U.S. Pat. to T. N. Batt et al., No. 3,376,400, of Apr. 2, 1968, entitled Handle Locking Attachment for Electrical Control Devices.

As disclosed in the latter patent, a suitable supporting frame is detachably connected to the front of the enclosing case of a control device and the operating handle of the device extends through an aperture in the frame so that the handle can be swung to and from operating positions without interference by the frame. The frame carries a bail which can be swung toward and away from the general plane of the frame into an obstructing position such that, when the handle is in OFF position and a shackle is passed through the bail, the bail prevents movement of the handle to an ON or other selected position. In the latter prior patent, the bail is free to move from a position substantially parallel to the plane of the frame to a position 180 about its axis to another position substantially parallel to the frame.

Such control devices generally are enclosed in a cabinet at a load center, the devices being arranged therein in groups with their handles accessible only by opening a common door of the cabinet. With the structure of the latter above patent, not infrequently a bail is left in a position extending substantially 90 to the plane of the frame. In such position, the bail interferes with. the closing of the load center door and presents a danger of damaging the door, the bail,'and the device itself.

In accordance with the present invention, the bail is spring biased to a position in which it cannot interfere with the closing of the load center cabinet door when it is released from its obstructing position relative to the operating handle.

Various specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective view of a circuit breaker with the handle locking attachment of the present invention installed thereon, showing the bail locked in obstructing position relative to the handle with the handle in an OFF position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end view taken from the right end of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view of the circuit breaker in the position in which it is installed in a load cabinet, showing the handle in OFF position and the bail locked in obstructing position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the bail in released non-obstructing position, an instantaneous intermediate position of the bail being indicated in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings, the attachment is shown in connection with a circuit breaker, indicated generally at l, the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker being such as described in the above entitled U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,697, and being enclosed in a molded case 2. The circuit breaker has an external operating handle 3 extending through the front wall of the case and being swingable counterclockwise about the axis of a pivot 4 from the OFF position, illusuated in FIG. 1, to ON position. The front wall has a raised boss 5 which surrounds the opening in the front wall through which the handle 3 extends.

The present attachment comprises a frame 6 which, as more fully described in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,400, is adapted to bedetachably mounted on the front wall of the case 2 in surrounding relation to the boss 5.

The frame 6 is elongated and comprises the side frame members 7 and an end frame member 8 at one end and an end frame member 9 at the opposite end. The frame may be stamped from a single piece of metal. Near the end frame member 8 the frame is provided with upstanding cars 10 for pivotally supporting a bail I 1.

In the form illustrated, the bail comprises a single length of wire which is bent at one end transversely of its overall length to provide a pivot 12 which is received in suitable aligned passages in the ears 10. The bail has an obstructing means 13, such as a shoulder formed by bending an intermediate portion of the wire transversely of its length. In the obstructing position of the bail, with the handle 3 in OFF position, the obstructing means 13 lies in the pathof the handle 3 to prevent its being swung out of OFF position, in a direction toward the end 8 of the frame, to ON position.

Beyond the obstructing means 13, in a direction toward the opposite end of the bail from the pivot 12, the bail has a portion 14 which is positioned to lie alongside the path of movement of the handle 3 and a latch portion 15 which, in the form illustrated, is provided by bending the wire transversely of its length, then lengthwise, and then in the opposite direction transversely of its length.

The bail is of such length and its obstructing means and latch portion are so positioned that with the handle in the OFF position, illustrated in FIG. I, and the bail in the obstructing position, the obstructing means 13 is substantially against the face of the handle 3 facing toward the pivotal axis of the bail. At the same time, the latch portion 15 of the bail is disposed at the opposite side of the handle beyond the end of its path of movement and in a position to receive a latching car 16 on the frame 6. The portion 15 and ear 16 are arranged so that when a ball is swung into the obstructing position, the latch portion 15 can clear the ear 16 without any interference. Either the portion 15 or ear 16, but in the form illustrated, the ear 16 has an eye 17 positioned to receive a shackle S of the padlock so that the shackle obstructs the'movement of the bail away from its handle blocking position.

The bail is biased by a torsion spring 18 out of the handle obstructing position. The spring is of sufficient strength so that, when the latch portion 15 is released by removal of the shackle S, the spring can swing the bail from its obstructing position, in which it is substantially parallel to the plane of the frame, through an instantaneous intermediate position, indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 4, in which the bail is normal to the plane of the frame, and therepast to an unobstructing position in which the bail is in a position of about about its pivotal axis from its obstructing position.

In any event, when the bail is latched in the handle obstructing position it cannot be engaged by the door of a cabinet in which the circuit breaker is mounted when the door is moved to closed position. The bail passes from this obstructing position through the upright position in which it could be engaged by the door of the cabinet, and therepast to theunobstructing position in which it is again close to the front wall of the case 2.

Thus the handle can be locked readily in a selected position, but upon release of the locking means the bail will be swung by the spring from the handle obstructing position upwardly past an upright position relative to the frame and onwardly until the bail is in an unobstructing position in which it cannot be engaged by the door upon closure of the door of the load center cabinet.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. A handle locking attachment for locking an exterior operating handle which extends outwardly through one wall of a case of an electrical control device and is movable along a predetermined path to two positions, respectively, and comprising:

a frame adapted to be mounted on the case;

a handle obstructing bail;

a pivot pivotally supporting the bail on the frame for swinging in opposite directions about a pivotal axis from a handle obstructing position near the frame at one side of the pivot to a handle unobstructing position near the frame at the opposite side of said pivot, through an intermediate position in which the bail extends outwardly at an abrupt angle to the frame;

means for latching the bail in its obstructing position including complementary latch members on the bail and frame, respectively, positioned so that the path of movement of the latch member on the bail is unobstructed by the latch member on the frame;

at least one of said members having a shackle receiving portion so positioned relative to the other member that, when the bail is in handle obstructing position and a shackle is received in said shackle receiving portion, the shackle will obstruct said path so that the bail is prevented from movement out of handle obstructing position; and

a biasing spring connected to the frame and bail and operative to swing the bail from obstructing position to the unobstructing position when the bail is unlatched,

said non-obstructing position to which the bail is caused to swing by the spring is about 180 about the pivotal axis from the obstructing position of the bail.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the frame has an elongated aperture through which an operating handle of an associated electrical control device can extend and be unconstrained from normal movement endwise of the aperture to ON and OFF positions when the frame is installed on the electrical control device;

the bail is pivotally connected to the frame near one end of the aperture; and

the latch member on the frame is an ear on the frame near the other end of the aperture and has an eye for receiving a padlock shackle in, and for holding the shackle in, position to latch the bail in obstructing position by engaging the latch member on the bail.

3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the bail is a wire having a bent portion at one end extending transversely of the length of the bail and providing said pivot;

another portion extending transversely of the length of the bail and providing a handle obstructing portion; and having a third portion at the opposite end providing said latch member on the bail.

4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the biasing spring is a torsion spring and it interconnects the frame and the bail at the pivotal end of the bail, and it is operative to cause the bail to swing so that the entire bail moves to a position, which is said handle unobstructing position, close to a plane through its pivotal axis and generally parallel to the general plane of the frame. 

1. A handle locking attachment for locking an exterior operating handle which extends outwardly through one wall of a case of an electrical control device and is movable along a predetermined path to two positions, respectively, and comprising: a frame adapted to be mounted on the case; a handle obstructing bail; a pivot pivotally supporting the bail on the frame for swinging in opposite directions about a pivotal axis from a handle obstructing position near the frame at one side of the pivot to a handle unobstructing position near the frame at the opposite side of said pivot, through an intermediate position in which the bail extends outwardly at an abrupt angle to the frame; means for latching the bail in its obstructing position including complementary latch members on the bail and frame, respectively, positioned so that the path of movement of the latch member on the bail is unobstructed by the latch member on the frame; at least one of said members having a shackle receiving portion so positioned relative to the other member that, when the bail is in handle obstructing position and a shackle is received in said shackle receiving portion, the shackle will obstruct said path so that the bail is prevented from movement out of handle obstructing position; and a biasing spring connected to the frame and bail and operative to swing the bail from obstructing position to the unobstructing position when the bail is unlatched, said non-obstructing position to which the bail is caused to swing by the spring is about 180* about the pivotal axis from the obstructing position of the bail.
 2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the frame has an elongated aperture through which an operating handle of an associated electrical control device can extend and be unconstrained from normal movement endwise of the aperture to ON and OFF positions when the frame is installed on the electrical control device; the bail is pivotally connected to the frame near one end of the aperture; and the latch member on the frame is an ear on the frame near the other end of the aperture and has an eye for receiving a padlock shackle in, and for holding the shackle in, position to latch the bail in obstructing position by engaging the latch member on the bail.
 3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the bail is a wire having a bent portion at one end extending transversely of the length of the bail and providing said pivot; another portion extending transversely of the length of the bail and providing a handle obstructing portion; and having a third portion at the opposite end providing said latch member on the bail.
 4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the biasing spring is a torsion spring and it interconnects the frame and the bail at the pivotal end of tHe bail, and it is operative to cause the bail to swing so that the entire bail moves to a position, which is said handle unobstructing position, close to a plane through its pivotal axis and generally parallel to the general plane of the frame. 